In a press conference, a broad alliance of environmental and human rights NGOs protested sharply against the letters from the City of Vienna, in which numerous organizations, individuals and initiatives were threatened with lawsuits involving millions of people. Greenpeace spoke of a “clear crossing of a red line”, while Amnesty International criticized the move as a violation of human rights. The alliance demanded that the city withdraw the threats.
In the attorney’s letter on Friday, the City of Vienna asked the recipients to immediately evacuate the demonstration camps against the city street in the Danube city. Otherwise, legal action would be initiated and the “damage caused” in the millions would be claimed from the activists – including children and young people. Annemarie Schlack, Managing Director of Amnesty International Austria, saw it as a so-called Slapp lawsuit, in which companies or governments try to silence critical voices by means of economic superiority. Amnesty observed such complaints in Sudan and Kosovo, for example – that this would one day occur in the city of Vienna, “I would never have thought,” said Schlack.
Sophie Lampl, program director of Greenpeace Austria, also saw a democratic political scandal in which children and young people “are terrified”. “It is unprecedented for functioning democracies that an authority takes action against children and young people who are committed to climate protection with lawsuits that threaten the existence of millions,” said Lampl. She demanded from Mayor Michael Ludwig and City Councilor Ulli Sima (both SPÖ) a public apology to the young climate protectors.
The young climate activists Lena Schilling from the Youth Council and Mirjam Hohl from Fridays For Future also received such a letter. Schilling criticized that in response to young people who fear for their future, lawsuits that threaten their existence are threatened. “Why do you do this?” The protests against the road construction projects in Vienna are, however, “about nothing less than our future,” emphasized Hohl. As long as the SPÖ Vienna adheres to its “climate-damaging concrete policy”, the protest will continue despite threats of legal action.
The attorney’s letters were even sent to people who never physically took part in the protests in Lobau, such as an employee of the human rights organization Südwind or the scientist Barbara Laa. Laa, who works at the Vienna University of Technology in the research area for traffic planning and traffic engineering, assumed that she was threatened with legal action for “mental support” of the protest because she repeatedly criticized the projects on social media. “As a scientist, I have done that and I will continue to do so,” she emphasized. Laa saw the letter as a sign to scientists to “sit quietly in their closets and not take part in the discourse”.
The climate and human rights movement called on Ludwig and Sima to “withdraw the letters of intimidation immediately”. Rather, the City of Vienna should start a dialogue on an equal footing. The organizations set a deadline of 48 hours for the start of this dialogue. The next step will be decided afterwards.
“Freedom of expression is a valuable asset and it goes without saying that it also applies to the current debate about the occupation of the construction site on Stadtstrasse Aspern,” commented Sima in a broadcast. The planning city councilor asked for “understanding that the City of Vienna also has the right to implement an infrastructure project that has been approved in all instances and is necessary for urban development”. It is about the construction of tens of thousands of affordable apartments in northeast Vienna, which hang on the city street Aspern.
According to the Sima office at APA’s request, they are “of course ready” for the requested talks with the activists. “We have always focused on discussions, we continue to rely on dialogue,” said Sima, renewing her offer of talks.